Dearly Beloved, Till Deaf Do We Part
by ReadMyHands
Summary: Based after Bay and Emmett hook up in the park after Matthew cat fishes Emmett. Bay doesn't take the morning after pill. She's still with Tank, but something isn't right. How will Bay and Emmett deal with what is happening? Or WILL they deal with it at all? And what about Tank, who Bay is still dating?
1. The Beginning

"Look Emmett, I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm… _late._ " Bay looked around nervously as she shyly signed the last word with a distraught look on her face. God forbid someone else in the school see what she was signing to Emmett. She had been so happy to have finally reunited with him that night in the park after Matthew had cat fished him, but her joy had been cut short. Emmett sighed and put his head in his hands. Bay put her hand out and placed on his shoulder covered by his leather jacket. " **How** _ **late**_ **is** _ **late**_ **? Maybe it's just stress. You've had a lot going on recently.** " Emmett suggested, shrugging. Bay twiddled her thumbs nervously. "I don't know. Maybe. I just thought…I just thought you should know."

Daphne suddenly appeared behind Emmett. " **Thought he should know what?** " She asked with her usual smile as she plopped down next Emmett. Bay tried to hide her fear. What was she going to tell Daphne? " **That Bay is working on a new art piece based around Ripley."** Emmett replied with ease. Ripley was Emmett's bike. **"Oh cool! So are you guys…?"** Daphne's sentence trailed off. Bay had told Daphne that she had had sex with Emmett but nothing more. Emmett looked at Bay and shrugged. **"We're…talking about it. But of course Bay is with Tank."** He stated matter-of-factly. Bay sighed as she wondered exactly what she was going to tell Tank.

Suddenly a twinge of nausea rolled through her stomach. "I'm sorry, excuse me" she mumbled as she quickly rose from the lunch table and ran inside to the bathroom, her hand covering her mouth. Bay ran into the first empty stall she could find and profusely vomited into the toilet. When she was finished, she flushed the toilet and sat on the hard tile floor with her head against her knees. This could not possibly be happening to her! She heard the bathroom door swing open and then footsteps. "Bay? Are you in here? Are you okay?" It was Daphne.

Bay quickly stood up, brushed off her pants and opened the stall door. "Yes! I am here and…I am fine!" She said, forcing the best smile that she could. Daphne raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You really expect me to believe that? I thought you'd know by now that you can't lie to me." Bay walked over to the sink and turned on the water. "Really. I just had to pee. No big deal." Bay laughed. Daphne rolled her eyes. "Well when you decide you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here." Daphne said as she walked out of the bathroom. Bay stared into her own dark brown eyes in the mirror. What was she going to do?

Bay walked out of the bathroom and ran straight into Emmett. **"Bay! I'm sorry…why do you smell like that? Did you get sick in there?"** Emmett signed with a concerned look on his face. Bay blushed. She hadn't even thought about trying to cover the stench of vomit on her breath. "Yeah…I did. Do you have any gum?" She asked. Emmett handed her a piece of minty gum out of his backpack. **"Has that been happening a lot lately?"** Emmett signed. Bay looked away and nodded. "Almost all day, every day. It's probably nothing though." She assured him, although she could not make herself believe that. " **Are you** _ **sure?**_ **"** Emmett eyed Bay suspiciously. "No. Okay I'm not sure of anything right now except…look I've got to go. I'll text you later." Bay said as she grabbed her backpack and rushed away.

"Okay…so that's…" Bay groaned. She was going over her calendar, trying to figure out precisely when her period should have started this month. She was somewhere around two weeks late. Bay flopped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her phone began to ring. She picked it up. The caller ID stated that Tank was calling. Was she ready to deal with this right now? "Hello? Bay?" Tank's voice boomed through the cell phone. "Yeah, hey, I'm…I'm here." Bay said as she rubbed her temple with her free hand. "I haven't heard from you for a few days. I was about to send a search team." Tank joked. Bay gave a half hearted snicker. "I've just been busy. You know, school and art and…stuff." Although Tank didn't need to know what 'stuff.' "You sound a little down. Listen, we're having a party tonight. HUGE. It's gonna be a total rager. Why don't you come?" Tank sounded so enthusiastic and Bay didn't want to crush him. She might have to break his heart at some point, but it didn't have to be now. "Uh, sure. Sounds like fun. I'll be there. See ya later." Bay hung up.

She needed to convince Tank that, for the time being, nothing was going on. She had wept to Tank on numerous occasions about how awful she had felt when Emmett and Ty had cheated on her. So how in the world was she going to explain to them that not only had she slept with Emmett, but that she was possibly carrying his child? Bay looked aimlessly through her closet. She pulled a jacket out of her closet and slipped her arms through the sleeves. Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Emmett. "Hey. Doing okay?" Bay pursed her lips together and stuck her phone in her back pocket. How well could she possibly be doing? And even so, she didn't know anything was going on for sure yet. Bay came down the stairs, announced that she was going to hang out with Tank, and drove away before anyone could stop her.

Bay pulled up outside of the house with the address that Tank had texted to her. The music could be heard all the way down the street and the backyard was full of drunken college kids. Tank ran out the front door to meet Bay. "Bay! Oh my gosh, you totally missed it! Mark just-hey are you okay?" Bay was leaning heavily against her car with her hand covering her pale face. She was suddenly struck with another wave of nausea. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…thirsty." Tank laughed. "Well tonight is all you can drink night! Come on!" He took her by the hand and led her inside.

The music was even louder inside the house, which was packed wall to wall with people and alcohol. There was a beer keg and of course a table set up for beer pong. Normally she would be excited, but she just felt tired and ready to go home. "What do you want to drink?" Tank asked, gesturing toward the table full of alcohol. Bay skimmed over it nervously as she realized she shouldn't drink alcohol, just in case she was really pregnant. "Uh…just…just water…would be great." Tank raised his eyebrows. "Water? You come out to this fantastic party and you want to drink water?" Bay brushed her hair behind her ear and looked down at her feet, unsure of what to say. Tank put his hands on Bay's shoulders. "Bay, what's the matter? What's up?" Tears welled up in Bay's eyes. Tank didn't deserve this.


	2. Tank

"Bay, what is it? Come on." Tank urged Bay as they sat on the curb outside in front of the house. Bay was openly crying with her head resting against her knees, her arms wrapped around herself. She had no choice now but to tell Tank what had happened and, more importantly, what _might_ be happening. There was no other way to explain her obvious avoidance of alcohol and her emotional outburst. Bay looked at Tank, this perfect guy who had never done anything to hurt her. She had done something so unthinkable to him and he had no idea. It was heartless, she thought to herself. She did the very thing that had torn her apart when it had happened to her. Bay took a deep breath.

"Tank I…I'm just so sorry. And I know nothing I say will make this any better but I…-"Bay was suddenly cut off by a wave of nausea, followed by vomit. Bay leaned forward and vomited onto the street. Tank gathered her thick, wavy, dark hair and held it away from her face. "Bay, what is going on? You haven't even drank anything yet." Tank was confused. Bay was crying harder now, knowing that their break up was inevitable, as he was Tank's disgust with her. "Tank, I…I think I might be pregnant." She spat out the word for the first time. Tank quickly stood up, dropping Bay's hair and stepping away from her. "Pregnant?" he exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Bay, I think you are _way_ confused. All we did was kiss. You can't be pregnant." _Stupid._ Bay thought. "Look Tank…I slept with Emmett."

"Oh. Oh I see. You come crying to me because every guy you've ever loved has cheated on you, and you do it to me in return?" Tank clenched his fists. His knuckles turned white. "Tank, I am so sorry." Bay cried. "I didn't mean to, it…it just happened. And Emmett and I…we just have this chemistry that…God, I don't know, okay? I don't." Bay knew exactly what Tank must be feeling right now, but somehow, she still hoped that he would understand. Tank sighed brushed his hand over the top of his head. "So you guys didn't use anything and now…" he gestured towards Bay's flat stomach. "You uh…you might be…with child. Okay." Bay stood up and straightened out her shirt. "All I know for sure is that I'm late." Tank eyed the puddle of vomit on the ground. "And nauseous." He added. Bay nodded.

"Does Emmett know?" Tank asked. Bay shrugged. "I mean…he knows what's been going on. But I don't even know anything for sure yet." Tank gestured for Bay to wait as he walked back inside the house. He came out with her jacket and her purse. "Bay, look. This is not okay. Sleeping with Emmett was not okay. But…I can't say I didn't see it coming. I knew you still loved him to begin with. Now what's important is…uh…making sure that the situation is what you think it is." Bay slipped her jacket back on and slung her purse over her shoulder. "I think you're really confused right now, Bay. But I think you know who you want to be with. And it's not me, is it?" Tank frowned and scuffed his shoe against the concrete.

Bay's eyes welled with tears again. "Tank, you are such a great guy. I _really_ mean that. But I can't deny what I have with Emmett. Especially if what we have…is a baby." Tank pursed his lips together and stuck his thumbs into his jean pockets. "I can't say that makes me happy. But I understand." Tank stepped forward and pulled Bay into his arms but quickly let go. "You smell like puke. But good luck, okay?" Bay smirked a little before getting into the driver's seat of her car. She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. She had six new text messages, all from Emmett.

"Bay, are you okay?"

"Are you busy?"

"We should talk about this"

"Can I meet you somewhere?"

"Bay please"

"Call when you can"

Bay took a deep breath in and decided to FaceTime Emmett. He picked up instantly. His freckled face had never looked so concerned before. **"Bay! I was so worried. Are you okay?"** Emmett signed frantically. "I'm…I don't know. I'm as okay as I can be." She grimaced. Emmett shook his head. " **So how** _ **late**_ **are you? Is this something we seriously need to figure out?"** Bay was not surprised at how Emmett seemed to be handling this situation. She never had to worry so long as he was there. "Somewhere around two weeks. Maybe more like sixteen days?" Bay shrugged. " **Can you come over? I think we need to find out what's going on as soon as possible so we can be responsible about it."** Bay nodded. "Um, yeah. I'm on my way. Meet me out front." Emmett nodded and ended the call. Bay stuck the keys into the ignition of her car and took off towards Emmett's.


	3. The One Test She Wanted To Fail

Emmett was waiting patiently in his driveway when Bay arrived. He opened the driver's side door and took her into his arms. He stepped back. **"You smell like vomit. Did you get sick again?"** Emmett asked. Bay nodded. "Right in front of Tank. So I had to tell him what was going on." Bay crossed her arms and hugged her elbows. " **How did he take it? Was he made? Did he hurt you?"** Emmett put his hand on Bay's shoulder, showing his concern for her. Bay shook her head. "No, it wasn't like that at all. He was…actually pretty understanding." Bay looked down to her feet. Tank's understanding of her situation had actually made Bay feel worse. Even after she had wronged him, he still cared for her. **"Well…what did you tell him?"** Emmett asked, seeming a little confused. "I just told him that…I thought I might be…" Bay suddenly found herself unable to say the word. " **Pregnant?"** Emmett signed slowly. Bay looked at him and nodded as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Emmett sighed. " **We need to go get a test. We need to know for sure."** Bay agreed as she walked toward Emmett's bike as she usually would. Emmett put his arm out in front of her and shook his head. " **I don't think the bike is a good idea right now if you are…you know. Pregnant. Let's take your car."** Emmett signed, gesturing towards Bay's vehicle in the driveway. Bay was a bit taken back by this but reluctantly agreed. They drove to the nearest drugstore. Bay turned to Emmett. "I guess I'll go get it. Wait here." Emmett nodded. Bay walked into the drug store and looked around, unsure of what isle she needed to go down. She walked towards the feminine care isle.

Bay quickly grabbed the first test she saw and went for the register. She turned and walked straight into another woman in the isle. A box of tampons fell to the floor. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Bay exclaimed as she handed the box of tampons back to the woman. They made eye contact and Bay realized she was face to face with Melody Bledsoe. **"Oh, hello Bay. How are you?"** Melody asked with a smile. Bay froze, suddenly feeling the weight of the pregnancy test in her hand. "Uh…I'm great! Awesome. How are you?" Melody began to respond when she eyed the test in Bay's hand. " **Bay…is everything okay? Is that for you?"** Melody asked with a deeply concerned look on her face.

"No no no no! It's not for me; it's for…uh…Natalie! From school? Yeah she, uh, asked me to pick it up for her…she's really scared." Bay signed nervously, hoping Melody would buy her story. Melody tilted her head to the side and reluctantly accepted Bay's story. **"Well…you tell** _ **Natalie**_ **that if she needs help, my office is always open. And I won't judge."** Melody smiled softly and left with her box of tampons. Bay paid for her pregnancy test and ran back out to her car.

"Emmett, you won't believe what just happened." Bay said as she jumped into the driver's side of her car. " **What?"** Emmett signed. "Your mom was in there buying tampons. She saw me with the test." Bay signed frantically. Emmett's jaw dropped in disbelief. " **Please tell me you had a story to tell her."** Bay grimaced. "I…I told her I was buying the test for Natalie." Emmett placed a hand over his eyes. " **Bay, Natalie is gay. My mom knows that. No way she believed that story."** Bay dropped the test and laid her head against the steering wheel. Of all the friends Bay had, why had she chosen to say the test was for Natalie? Of course Melody knew her students very well, especially the deaf ones. "So your mom definitely knows the test was for me." Emmett nodded. " **I'm going to say yes. But she doesn't know we slept together so we're not totally screwed yet."** This did not make Bay feel any better. There was no telling who Melody might mention this to. Would she tell Regina?

Emmett gently touched Bay's shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts. **"We need to find out exactly what's going on. We may not even have anything to hide."** Bay nodded. She knew that no one was home at her house at that moment. Her mom and dad were out at a senator's dinner, Daphne and Toby were at field hockey practice, and Regina and Angelo were working on K &D. With that in mind, Bay drove to her house. She pulled into the driveway and she and Emmett went inside. Bay took the test out of the box and eyed it wearily. Her whole life could change in the next ten minutes. Emmett saw the distraught look on Bay's face. " **Hey. No matter what, it's going to be okay."** He smiled. Bay wasn't so sure, but she smiled back anyways.

Bay took the test and sat it on the counter top. She sat down on the floor, her back against the sink, and waited. She was only sixteen years old. She hadn't yet graduated high school. She didn't have anything figured out. How was she going to take care of another human life? Bay let her head fall back and rest against the sink. She tried to picture herself as a mother, as an unwed teenage mother. Bay had never thought she'd be in this situation. She looked at her phone. It had been 10 minutes since she had taken the test. It should be ready. Bay took a slow, deep breath and stood up.

Just as she did, Emmett knocked on the bathroom door and came in. **"Hey, everything okay?"** He signed shakily. Bay blushed. "I haven't looked yet…I can't." She teared up again. Emmett walked towards the counter top where the test was laying. **"I'll look."** He signed, more shakily this time than the last. Bay was becoming light headed. She sat down on the closed toilet lid. Emmett slowly reached for the test and eyeballed it for what seemed like forever. Bay looked up to him. "Well?" She asked.

Emmett gulped and slowly sat the test down. Emmett looked at Bay, and then to her still quite flat abdomen. "What did it say?" Bay asked, more desperately this time. Emmett stepped forward slowly and placed his palm against Bay's stomach and looked into her sad brown eyes. "Emmett!" Bay screamed, tears now streaming down her face. She backed away from him. He fumbled before finally signing " **Yes…yes. You're pregnant."**


	4. Options Don't Exist Here

_Author's Note: Someone so graciously pointed out to meet that I made a small mistake in my story! Bay is eighteen considering where my story began, not sixteen as originally stated. If I can figure out how to fix it, I will go back and do so. If not, I will simply leave this note here so everyone will know. Please enjoy the story. I love reading your reviews as much as I love writing!_

Bay's jaw dropped ever so slightly and she leaned forward, placing her head in her hands. "It's positive?" She squeaked. Emmett waved his hand in front of Bay's face, bringing her out of her trance. " **Bay? Say something."** His signing was still very shaky. But Bay didn't know what to say. She had nothing to say except "I think I'm gonna-" and that was it. Emmett quickly grabbed the trashcan from beside the toilet and placed it in front of Bay just in time for her to, again, profusely vomit into it. Emmett gathered Bay's dark hair away from her face and gently rubbed his hand on her back, trying to comfort her. But how could she possibly be comforted in this situation?

And then Bay slumped into Emmett and began to sob. Emmett politely ignored the smell of vomit on her breath as he held her, her tears rolling off his leather jacket. He quickly ran through everything that had just happened. Bay had simply told him that she thought she was late. But Bay came and told him everything, regardless of if it involved him or not. Was she trying to tell him that…that he might be a father? She had been seeing Tank for quite some time, so surely they had been together already. Was Tank the father? And was it even appropriate for him to ask Bay these questions when she was like this?

Emmett handed Bay a tissue and kneeled in front of her. " **What do you need to me do?"** He asked. Regardless of whose baby was growing inside of her, he loved her and he wanted nothing more than to make this okay. Bay shook her head. "You could wake me up from this bad dream." She said sadly. Emmett shook his head. " **No. Don't talk like that. You'll be miserable. I don't want that for you. I sort of meant more along the lines of…do you need me to take you to see Tank?"** Emmett had decided that this was a subtle enough way to find out whose baby this was without directly asking.

Bay looked confused. "Why would I need to go see Tank?" She asked. Emmett shrugged. " **Shouldn't he be involved with this?"** He signed. Bay suddenly realized that although she had told Emmett that she might be pregnant, she had failed to mention that he was the father. Although this still offended her slightly. Why would she tell him first if she thought the baby belonged to Tank? "Emmett, I never slept with Tank. The baby…the baby is yours." She said shyly. She had not even considered the fact that Emmett might leave.

Emmett pursed his lips together. Even though he knew there was a possibility, it was an entirely new reality for him to have Bay tell him that she was pregnant with his child. Emmett placed his fingers against Bay's flat stomach and looked at her. " **I'm going to be a father?"** Emmett signed, shaking more now than ever. Bay shrugged. "I mean…yes and no, I guess? Look, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do here. I haven't had much time to think this through." Emmett moved his hand and furrowed his eyebrows. " **What do you mean? What's there to think through?"** He asked. "Um…I mean what I'm going to do about this situation. What I'm going to do with this…thing in me." Emmett didn't want to be angry, but he was starting to become just that. What was Bay planning on doing with his baby? With THEIR baby? " **That** _ **thing**_ **is my baby. Our baby! What exactly are you thinking about doing?"** His signing was becoming harsher, more frantic.

Bay scoffed. "You can't seriously think that we're ready for this right now. We're in high school, Emmett. We have our whole lives ahead of us." Emmett was becoming much more frustrated than he wanted to be. " **We can still have lives with our baby. We may not be ready but that doesn't matter. We didn't use anything. That's not the baby's fault."** Bay shook her head. "Okay, first of all, please stop calling it a baby. And second of all, I just said I'm not sure what I'm doing yet. There are plenty of options out there for me."

Emmett stood up and turned his back to Bay, trying to calm himself a bit before he said something he would regret. " **Bay, I am** _ **not**_ **okay with this. I plan to be a father to my child. I want you to give me the chance to do that!"** Bay was taken aback by how strongly Emmett felt about this situation. She was pleased that he wanted so badly to take responsibility for what they had done, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around the thought of being a mother.

"Emmett, I am eighteen years old and I have no clue what I'm doing with my life right now. How am I supposed to be responsible for another human life? My parents are going to freak as it is! How do you think they'd react if I told them that I wanted to have a baby and keep it?" Emmett held his hands up and shook his head. " **That's not the point, Bay. This may not be what you planned for but it's happening. I didn't plan to become a father at eighteen but here I am. And now I think it's time for you to accept that this is our reality now. We're going to become parents. And we both have to be responsible."**

Bay shook her head. "I don't have to do anything that I'm not entirely comfortable with. And like I said, I haven't had any time to think this through. I don't even know how I feel about it yet. All I know is that I'm eighteen and pregnant and scared and…and I don't know exactly what I want to do yet. But I'd like your support here." Emmett opened the bathroom door and began to walk away. He turned around suddenly. " **I have already told you that I am ready to be a father to my baby. I will support you AND my baby. But** _ **that's**_ **it. If you think I'm going to support you getting rid of our baby…think again."** And with that…Emmett slammed the door and left.


	5. The First View

Five days. That's how long it had been since Emmett had heard from Bay, and it was absolutely killing him. How was she doing? Had she made a decision yet? And if she had, what was it? He wanted to ask her, but he was so upset that she was even considering anything other than raising their baby. Even if it had been an accident, Emmett certainly didn't see it as a mistake and it offended him that Bay did. The last five days for Bay had not been a walk in the park either. Rather than having morning sickness, she had been struck with "all day" sickness. She only wanted to eat bananas and buttered toast, as it was the only thing she could mostly keep down. She had suddenly found herself leaving class to pee everything fifteen minutes and no matter how much she slept, she always felt absolutely exhausted.

Emmett had finally had enough. He saw Bay putting books into her locker at the end of the school day. He walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, she spun around. Emmett suddenly felt bashful. " **Hey. How are you feeling?"** Emmett signed. Bay looked down at her swollen feet and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Um, tired. And nauseous of course." Emmett let out a sigh of relief. " **So you haven't…made any decisions yet?"** Bay shook her head. "Not really, but I am going to see a doctor today." Emmett suddenly became alarmed. " **Why? Is everything okay?"**

Bay nodded. "As far as I know. I'd just like to know how far things are and…you know; make sure I keep my options open." Emmett nodded slowly. " **I still want you to give me a chance to be a father to my baby. But…I shouldn't be putting more stress on your right now."** Bay smiled subtly. "Thanks…so I was actually about to head to the appointment now. Did you want to maybe…?" Emmett smiled. **"Yes. Yes I would be happy to come with you."** Bay motioned for Emmett to follow her to the parking lot.

Bay and Emmett sat in the waiting room of the OB/GYN office. They squirmed uncomfortably. There were surrounded by married couples much older than they were, many of them expecting their second or third child. And awkwardly off to side sat a couple of high school students without a clue. " **At least no one will recognize either of us."** Emmett joked. Bay rolled her eyes. A nurse in pastel pink scrubs came to the door of the waiting room. "Bay Kennish?" She called.

Bay stood up. She turned and motioned for Emmett to come with her. " **Am I even allowed to come? We're not married or related."** Bay grabbed Emmett's hand and pulled him along behind her as she followed the nurse down the long hallway. She swung left and led Bay and Emmett into a room. "Please, have a seat on the exam table." She told Bay. Emmett helped Bay up onto the table and sat in the chair next to her.

"So, what's going on?" The nurse asked. Bay blushed and swung her feet. "Um…well I am somewhere around three weeks late for my period. And I took a home pregnancy test and it was positive. So I'm just kind of here to…confirm things I guess." The nurse nodded and scribbled onto her clipboard. "So your last menstrual cycle would have been somewhere around two months ago?" Bay nodded. "Have you been experiencing any nausea, vomiting, fatigue, frequent urination, anything like that?" Bay chuckled a bit. "Definitely had pretty much all of that going on." The nurse continued to scribble on her clipboard. "Um…okay! I think that's all I need, and the doctor will be in momentarily!" Bay smiled and nodded as the nurse walked out of the room.

Emmett turned to look at Bay. **"What did she say?"** He asked. Bay had signed her answers but had forgotten to interpret what the nurse had been saying. "Oh, uh, she just asked how I've been feeling." Emmett nodded and cupped his hands together. There was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in. He was a tall man, thin but not too thin, with green eyes and short black hair. "Hello, Dr. Rezner, nice to meet you." He smiled as he shook Bay's hand. He turned to Emmett next. "And is this the father?" Emmett turned to look at Bay. "Um, yes sir. This is Emmett Bledsoe. He is deaf, actually." shook Emmett's hand. "Would you like an interpreter?" The doctor asked, facing Emmett this time so he could read his lips. " **No, thank you. Bay can interpret."** Dr. Rezner looked to Bay. "Uh, he says I can interpret for him but thank you anyways."

Dr. Rezner pulled up his chair to the desk against the wall in the room as he looked over Bay's chart. "So…18 years old, you say you're about three weeks late, experiencing some common pregnancy symptoms…" Dr. Rezner continued to murmur over Bay's chart as she interpreted for Emmett. "Considering how far along I'm assuming you are, it'd be much easier to find the baby through a vaginal ultrasound. Are you both comfortable with Mr. Bledsoe being present for that?" Dr. Rezner motioned toward Emmett.

" **I'm okay with that. It's up to you."** Emmett signed to Bay, though he looked obviously hopeful that she would let him stay. Bay nodded and signed without speaking to Emmett. " **I'm fine. You can stay if you want."** Bay and Emmett nodded in unison toward Dr. Rezner. He handed Bay a hospital gown. "I'm going to step out for a moment so you can put this gown on. I'll be back in about five minutes." Dr. Rezner stepped out and shut the door. Bay stared awkwardly at the gown and then at Emmett. He raised his hands in surrender. " **I won't look."** He signed and covered his eyes. Bay stripped down as quickly as she could, put on the hospital gown, and sat back on the exam table. She tapped Emmett's shoulder. He moved his hands and looked at her.

" **Are you ready to see our baby?"** He asked with a smile. Bay grimaced. "Don't push it." She warned. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Rezner entered the room. He sat down on his stool and rolled it up to the end of the exam table. He pulled out the stirrups at the end of the table. "Alright Ms. Kennish, if you could please scoot to the end of the bed and place your feet in the stirrups for me." Bay blushed and nervously laid back and placed her feet in the stirrups. She felt so exposed. Emmett saw her obvious nervousness and wrapped his hand around hers.

The doctor explained the process of the vaginal ultrasound to Bay. She wanted to spare Emmett the details but he insisted on knowing everything that was going on, right down to the last gory detail. Bay found the vaginal ultrasound extremely uncomfortable but she knew it was necessary. The doctor moved the wand around inside of her and then stopped suddenly. He placed his finger against the screen. Bay saw what looked like a small jellybean that was pulsing. "What is that?" Bay asked, astonished.

Dr. Rezner made it a point to turn so Emmett could read his lips. "That's your baby. I'm going to say that you're about seven weeks and two days along at this point and everything looks fine. I'd place your due date on June 12. And I'd like to see you back in two weeks for another appointment. You can schedule that with the receptionist at the front desk." Bay was still shocked. She had tried so hard to remain emotionally unattached from the life that was growing inside of her, but seeing it on a screen, seeing its tiny heartbeat pulsing…it was life changing.

Bay turned to see Emmett. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He grinned from ear to ear. " **Bay! That's our baby! Look at our little jellybean!"** He signed enthusiastically. Dr. Rezner smiled too. "Would you two like some pictures?" He asked. Bay grabbed Emmett's hand and smiled. "Yeah…I think we would like that."


	6. Call it Mother's Intuition

Bay and Emmett were sitting together in the living room of the Kennish house. It had been nearly a month since their first ultrasound appointment. Bay was now ten weeks and four days into her pregnancy. Her lower abdomen was now firm and was beginning to protrude ever so slightly. Emmett laid his hand on her small belly and grinned. Bay giggled. "What?" She signed. " **Just thinking about what our little jellybean might be like."** He signed, rubbing his hand against her belly. They had taken to calling their baby 'jellybean' after the first ultrasound.

Katherine Kennish, the mother who had raised Bay, walked into the room. Emmett quickly moved his hand away from Bay's abdomen. Bay and Emmett had not yet told anyone of Bay's unplanned pregnancy. They had not even given any thought to how they were going to tell them. This was a discussion that Bay tended to avoid at all costs.

"Sorry to interrupt. I just wondered if you were staying for dinner, Emmett." Katherine signed as she spoke. Emmett shrugged. " **If you'll have me, I'd love to."** He responded. Katherine smiled. "I'd be delighted. We're having fettuccini Alfredo." She signed excitedly. Bay's stomach turned at the thought of dinner. She placed her hand over her mouth and cleared her throat in an attempt to hide her nausea, but Katherine noticed anyways. "Are you okay sweetie?" She asked Bay.

Bay nodded. "Oh yeah, fine. I just, uh…I'm not really in the mood for Alfredo, so I think I'll pass." Katherine furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But you've always loved my Alfredo…are you not feeling well?" She asked, sounding more concerned than she usually did. Bay could feel her face becoming red. "I've just felt a little off lately. I must have eaten something bad or…something." She lied. Katherine nodded slowly, though she did not fully accept this answer. "Okay well…do you want me to make something else? Because I can do that; I don't mind."

"I can just eat the salad." Bay smiled. She could stomach that, right? Katherine shrugged. "That's not really much of a dinner…I could at least put some chicken in it for you." Bay smiled. "Yeah that sounds great." Katherine smiled back, mostly satisfied with what Bay would be eating for dinner, and headed into the kitchen. Emmett faced Bay and held his hands up. " **You need to be more careful if you're not ready to tell them yet."** Emmett scolded her. " **What do you mean?"** Bay signed silently, making sure her mother didn't overhear anything she need not know about.

" **She's picking up on your new eating habits. I'm just saying…she's a mother. I'm sure she's going to put two and two together soon."** Bay crossed and uncrossed her ankles nervously. " **I haven't thought about telling them yet. I don't know how."** Emmett nodded. " **I get it."** He looked towards Bay's growing belly. Although it wasn't physically obvious yet, Bay had taken to wearing much more loose fitting clothing than she would normally wear. Her belly was firm and maybe a tad bit bigger, but not much. Her ankles were swollen and she was vomiting fairly frequently. Emmett wasn't sure how much longer Bay would be able to hide their secret from her family.

Katherine called out, asking everyone to please come to the table. Bay motioned for Emmett to follow her into the dining room. They stood up and walked to the table. They took their seats right next to one another. Daphne and Regina sat across from them. Katherine brought in a large silver bowl filled with salad, which was exactly what Bay wanted. She quickly put what she wanted onto her plate and drizzled her favorite salad dressing over it. "Whoa Bay. I don't think that salad is going to get up and run away from you." John joked. Bay, suddenly aware of how much she had already eaten, tried to slow her pace.

The room was filled with the usual dinner table conversation. Katherine was too busy in the kitchen to join just yet. She was just finishing her homemade Alfredo sauce when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Bay sprint from the table with Emmett close behind her. Katherine furrowed her eyebrows as she turned the stove off. Now Katherine hated to eavesdrop on her daughter and her boyfriend, but she just had a feeling that something was wrong. Call it mother's intuition, if you will.

Katherine quietly tiptoed down the hallway. The stench of vomit filled the air. Was Bay sick? Katherine inched closer to the bathroom in the hallway. She could hear Bay sobbing quietly as she vomited. Katherine inched even closer, enough to be able to see through the crack in the door that had not quite been closed all the way. Bay was crouched over the toilet. Emmett was holding her hair away from her face with one hand and gently patting her back with the other.

Katherine waited. Bay finally leaned away from the toilet and sat back against the wall. Emmett flushed the toilet and offered Bay a piece of gum from his back pocket. "I _love_ my mom's Alfredo." She said sadly. Emmett shrugged. " **I know you do. You're still getting used to your cravings. You'll figure it out soon."** Katherine put her hand over her mouth to keep her gasp inaudible. Bay nodded. "I guess so…I just…this is getting hard. Keeping this secret from them." Emmett sighed. " **Maybe we should start thinking about how we're going to tell everyone that you're-"** Katherine stepped away and walked quickly toward the kitchen. She could not handle seeing Emmett sign that last word, the word she could not force herself to think.

She stepped back into the kitchen and quickly finished her fettuccini Alfredo. She served it to her family, who did not ask what had taken so long. Katherine was thankful. Either they had not noticed or they saw the look on her face and decided it was best not to ask. Emmett stepped back into the dining room moments later. " **Bay's not feeling well. She's upstairs in bed. I brought her some water. I'm going to head home. Thank you for dinner, Katherine."** He signed. Katherine managed a weak smile as Emmett put on his jacket and left.

Dinner was a blur for poor Katherine. She did the dishes and stored the leftovers in the fridge. And then she cried. She knew now exactly what had been going on with Bay. There was simply no other explanation. But she still couldn't believe it. Had she failed Bay as a mother? Maybe things would have been better for her if she had been raised by Regina. Katherine walked into her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She splashed some water on her face and sighed heavily. She knew she needed to talk to Bay immediately. She needed to make sure Bay was taking care of herself. Katherine was not entirely sure she was ready to discuss what she had witnessed with her daughter, but she had no choice.

Katherine knocked on Bay's bedroom door and quickly let herself in. "Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" She asked softly. Bay was lying on her bed with her laptop. She set it aside. "A little better." She answered truthfully. Katherine sat down on the end of Bay's bed. She noticed her ankles were swollen. Katherine began to tear up again. "Bay…honey, I…I need to ask you something." She said. Her words were unsteady. Bay saw the tears in her mother's eyes. She was instantly concerned. "Mom, what's wrong?" She asked. Katherine scooted closer and gently put her hand on Bay's shoulder.

"Honey…I followed you and Emmett when you left the dinner table tonight." She admitted. Bay's jaw dropped. Katherine held her other hand up, silencing her. "I know. It was a total invasion of your privacy and I shouldn't have. But…I've just been feeling like…like there's something going on that I don't know about." Bay gulped. "And…what did you hear?" She asked. Katherine still spoke softly. "I heard you throwing up. And I saw Emmett sign to you…that you're still getting used to your cravings. And I heard you say it's getting hard to keep this secret." Bay blushed and looked away from her mother. Katherine could not contain her tears any longer. They spilled over onto her cheeks.

"Bay, look at me." She said, still speaking softly. Bay looked into her mother's sad eyes. Katherine looked into her daughter's terrified eyes. "Honey…are you pregnant? Are you having a baby?" Katherine whispered, her last few words nearly inaudible. Bay began to cry too. She shook her head yes. "Yes, yes mom. I'm pregnant." She felt the weight of the world on her shoulder's as she waited for her mother's response. Was she going to kill her? Was she going to kill Emmett? But Katherine didn't become angry. She continued to cry and wrapped Bay in her arms. They wept silently together.


	7. The Melody of John

Katherine walked into her bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, tears still falling from her eyes. How could this be happening? How could her daughter have ended up in this situation? John Kennish came out of the bathroom. He was smiling at first, until he saw the look on his wife's face. "Sweetie, what's wrong? You look like you just saw someone run over your puppy." He joked. Katherine managed a half hearted smile but it was all she could muster. "John, I…I think we need to talk." She said, her voice soft and sad. John knelt down in front of Katherine. "Is everything okay?"

Katherine was unsure of how to answer this question. Everyone was okay. But was this situation okay? She began to speak and then stopped. She didn't even know how to put what she wanted to say into words. And she knew John would overreact. "Is it one of the kids?" He asked, taking Katherine's petite hands into his own large hands. Katherine nodded. John waited patiently for Katherine to find the courage to say what she needed to say.

"John, I need you to be as level headed as you can about this. For me…and for Bay." She said. John now looked deeply concerned. His forehead wrinkled with worry. He did not speak. Katherine took a deep breath. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty. "She's pregnant." Her voice cracked. Tears poured down her cheeks. John stood up quickly, gritting his teeth. He cleaned his fists and hit the wall. "How?! How could this happen?!" He boomed. Katherine tried to quiet John down. "Honey, please. She's so scared. Don't do this." John was red in the face. He was furious. "Who? Who did this to her?" He demanded. "I don't know. I didn't ask. Emmett, I'd assume. But maybe Tank? I don't…I don't know." Katherine stuttered.

John stormed out of their bedroom. "BAY MADELINE KENNISH." He boomed as he opened Bay's bedroom door. Bay shrank back on her bed with tears in her eyes. "Dad-"She began to explain, but he silenced her. "All I want to know is who. Right now, young lady." He said through his teeth. "Emmett. The father is Emmett." She spat out. John took Bay by her arm and stood her up. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Bay demanded. But John paid no attention to her. He led Bay down the stairs, grabbed his car keys, and took her outside.

He lifted Bay into the passenger seat and shut the door as he walked to the driver's side and got in. "Fasten your seat belt." He said sternly. Bay obeyed. "Dad, where are we going?" Bay asked, her voice shaking, her hands folded protectively over her little belly. "We're going to go talk to Emmett." John shoved his keys into the ignition and took off. "Dad, we don't need to do this. Stop!" Bay said. John clutched the steering wheel tightly with both hands. His knuckles were white with tension. His eyes did not stray from the road. "If he did this to you, then he's going to face me like a man." John spoke, his voice eerily calm.

John pulled into the Bledsoe's driveway and shut the car off. He got out of the driver's seat and walked over to the passenger's side to get Bay. Bay unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, following John up to the front door. "Dad! It's like 11 o'clock at night! We can't just barge up to their house like this!" She insisted. John paid her no attention as he rang the doorbell repeatedly. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for someone to answer the door. "Dad, please. We can do this later when you're not on the verge of killing my boyfriend!"

The door opened finally. Melody Bledsoe stood in the doorway in her robe and slippers with a very confused look on her face. " **John? Bay? It's very late. What are you doing here?"** She signed. John's face scrunched in anger. "I need to see Emmett." He signed as he spoke to her. Melody, again, looked very confused. " **Emmett has school in the morning. And so does Bay."** Emmett walked up slowly behind Melody. He was in a pair of flannel pajama pants, a grey t-shirt and his hair was wild. John slid past Melody and grabbed Emmett by his shirt, pinning him to the wall. Bay yelled out in horror. Melody quickly pushed John away from Emmett and placed herself in between them. Now, she was angry. " **What the hell?! You come into my home at 11 o'clock on a school night, and then you assault my son?! Start explaining before I call the police."** She signed and then placed her hands on her hips. John stuck his finger in Emmett's face. Emmett flinched. "Your son got my daughter pregnant." John said, clenching his teeth. Emmett turned bright red, his jaw dropped ever so slightly, and he looked down to his feet.

Melody looked at Emmett with disbelief, her mouth wide open. " **Emmett, what did he just say?"** She signed slowly. Emmett ran his fingers through his hair before looking his mother in the eyes. " **Bay is pregnant. She's having my baby."** He signed shakily. Melody pressed her temples, pursed his lips, and turned away from Emmett. She turned to look at Bay, who was nearly in tears. John kept his eyes on Emmett. If looks could kill…

Melody held her hands up. " **Okay…we obviously have something we need to deal with. But it's late. I will bring Emmett over tomorrow and we can have a nice, long discussion about this."** John nodded, clenching and unclenching his fits. Bay looked at Emmett with tears in her eyes. Emmett did not dare take a step closer to her. Instead, he simply signed that he loved her, and she signed it back. Melody shut the door behind John and Bay. And then she turned to look at Emmett.

" **How long have you known?"** She signed, unable to look Emmett in the face. **"About two months. She's a little over ten weeks pregnant."** He replied. Melody sat down at the dining room table and rubbed her temples. She knew when she saw Bay with the pregnancy test that something was wrong, but she could not bring herself to believe it. **"Emmett, you are eighteen years old. You're in high school! What about your college plans? What are you going to do?!"** She signed harshly. Emmett shook his head and held his hands up. " **Mom. Bay and I are both going to graduate. And I am going to work and take care of her and my baby. College can wait."** Melody stood up swiftly and got a little too close to Emmett.

" **College is IMPORTANT. You are too young to be a father! And she…she is too young to be a mother. None of this should be happening!"** Her head was spinning. Emmett put his hand on his mother's tiny shoulder. " **Mom. It's late. Let's sleep on it. We can talk tomorrow. I love you."** He kissed her on the cheek and turned to walk to his room. Melody sat back down at the dining room table and wept softly into her hands.


	8. My Business Is Not My Own

Bay took her purple spiral notebook out of her locker and closed the door. "So how were things with your mom this morning?" Bay signed to Emmett as she spoke. " **Bad, I guess. She just kept crying and yelling about college.** " Emmett shook his head. Bay sighed. "I mean…it's not a question with unjust reason. What _are_ we going to do about college? Or…whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's backtrack a little. What are we going to do about high school?" These thoughts ran through her mind constantly these days, though Emmett rarely wanted to talk about them. He held his hand up and shook his head. " **College is important but it can wait. That's not my top priority right now. You are. And my baby."** Bay blushed as she saw another student walk by and glance at her, as if she were trying to read in on her conversation with Emmett.

Emmett turned around. " **What are you looking at?"** He asked, the hallway mostly empty behind him. Bay brushed her hair away from her face. "Nothing it…just…I don't know, do I look…you know…pregnant?" She asked, moving her arms away from her abdomen. Bay had taken to wearing much baggier clothing than usual. But at nearly 11 weeks pregnant with her first child, and with her already slim figure, her pregnancy was getting much harder to conceal. Today she was wearing a pair of black leggings and a loose fitting burgundy top, though it was still evident that her breasts had increased in size. Her face seemed rounder, her hair seemed shinier. To some it may not seem like a significant change, but to Emmett, it was.

" **Not REALLY pregnant. I think I only notice because I know. Why?"** He finally answered. Bay pulled at the bottom of her top as if she was trying to make it larger. "I just feel like people are staring. Do they know?" Bay wondered aloud. Emmett shook his head again. " **No one knows Bay. I haven't said anything. It's just in your head. Now come on. We need to get to study hall."** Emmett held out his hand. Bay slung her backpack over her shoulder, which Emmett quickly took. She sighed as she grabbed his hand and they walked to study hall together.

Emmett and Bay took their usual spots with Daphne, Natalie and Travis in study hall. Before the bell even rang to begin study hall, Daphne stood up. "Bay, Emmett, I need to speak with you both. Now." She signed as she spoke. Bay and Emmett stood up to follow her. Emmett was sweating bullets. Of course Daphne knew. How could she not? The three of them stepped into the hall just outside the classroom door.

"Okay, now tell me what's going on." Daphne demanded, crossing her arms when she finished signing. Bay furrowed her eyebrows. "Wh…what are you talking about? What do you think is going on?" Daphne rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, Bay. I saw you and John leaving the house at some crazy late hour last night. And when you both came back, you were crying. A lot. And he was mad!" Bay gulped. She could feel her cheeks turning red. Emmett tried to avoid eye contact with Daphne as much as he possibly could while still following the conversation. "Well? Start talking!" Daphne demanded.

Emmett sighed deeply. " **John and Bay came to my house last night. John wanted to confront me because…** " Emmett paused. He took another deep breath before continuing. " **Because I got Bay pregnant.** " Daphne pursed her lips and shook her head. "I knew it. I _knew_ it. From the day you ran from the cafeteria to go puke in the bathroom, I just knew it. And not only did you not tell me, you _lied_ to me about it, Bay! Why would you do that? I thought that we had been through enough together. I thought you knew you could trust me by now!" Daphne signed harshly. She was visibly upset. Why had Emmett and Bay not confided in her sooner?

"Daphne, it's not like that. It had nothing to do with trust. Okay, I didn't even _decide_ not to tell you. I just didn't have the words. I found out, and then Katherine found out and told John, and then John made me go to Emmett's house and Melody found out…it's all been a huge mess." Bay sighed as she shifted her weight back and forth from one foot to the other. "But I could have helped! Done something, been there for you to talk to-"Daphne was interrupted by Emmett. " **Daphne, there's nothing you can do right now. Bay is pregnant and she's having my baby. And we haven't even fully wrapped our heads around this yet. We haven't told Regina, we haven't told my Dad. We have so much on our plates right now. And I am sorry that telling you was overlooked. But now you know. But there's nothing anyone can do.** " Daphne clenched her teeth and flared her nostrils the way she always did when she was angry.

"I just wanted to be there for both. That's all. I don't think that's too much to ask!" Daphne was just finishing her sentence when Principal Rose came up behind her. " and Mr. Bledsoe, you both may return to class now. , a word please?" Emmett gave Bay a confused look. She shrugged her shoulders in response as she followed Principal Rose.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Bay asked nervously as she sat down in Principal Rose's office. Principal Rose sat down and shook her head. "Not exactly, Bay. I just need to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?" Bay nodded slowly as she searched her mind for anything she could be in trouble for. Principal Rose folded her hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Ms. Kennish, it has been brought to my attention that you are…going to…have a baby." Bay's jaw dropped open with a pop. Her cheeks turned bright red. She was too stunned to speak so Principal Rose continued. "I know this is none of my business. But I want to make sure you know of all the options that are available to you. You're such a bright, talented young woman. I want to see you succeed. I want to see you graduate from Carlton." Principal Rose slid a few pamphlets across her desk to Bay.

"Who told you?" Bay whispered so low it was nearly inaudible. "Bay, I am not here to place blame-"Principal Rose retorted but was cut off by Bay. "Who told you?!" She yelled as she stood up out of her chair. Principal Rose stood up behind her desk. "Bay, this is no one's fault. I just want to help you in any way that I can." Suddenly the door opened behind Bay. She turned around quickly and came face to face with Melody. Melody looked shocked. Bay was blushed with tears running down her round face. " **I'm so sorry, I-** " Melody began.

"It was you. You told my principal that I'm having your son's baby." Bay confronted Melody head on with no hesitation. She was furious. " **Bay, I want the best for you and Emmett. Principal Rose can help-** " Melody shrank back and Bay stomped her foot and clenched her fists. "I don't NEED any help from anyone! This is no one's business. And it's definitely not your business to be telling everyone! And who else did you tell? Because there sure were a lot of other students staring at me in the hallway today!" Bay yelled. Melody looked down. "Yeah. That's what I thought." Bay said as she walked behind Melody to leave the office.

Bay went straight to her car. She threw her backpack into the passenger seat and shoved the keys in the ignition. She had no destination in mind. She only knew that she needed to get away from this place. She needed to get away from all of these people who suddenly felt like her business was there business. All of these people who suddenly felt that she could not handle things on her own. She just needed to go. And so she did.


End file.
